Kirsten McKnight, Manager of Development, Native Energy (a carbon credit provider based in Burlington, Vermont) says that one of the big misunderstandings about the carbon market is the idea that companies who purchase credits have the “right to emit” CO2. She explains that companies don’t buy credits so they can keep emitting. “They buy carbon credits when they set carbon reduction goals, and when there are BY HEATHER SMITH THOMAS certain emission sources they aren’t able to reduce on their own,” she says. “Carbon offsets is the only tool to verifiably and effectively offset arbon is one of the most abundant elements on earth, forming those emissions.” millions of compounds. Some of the combinations we are most “Soil organic matter is about 58% carbon,” says Liebig. “If we can take familiar with are carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, etc. When up carbon dioxide and build organic matter, we concurrently remove a combined with oxygen and hydrogen, carbon can form many greenhouse gas from the atmosphere and improve soil health, making groups of important biological compounds including sugars, lignins, the land more resilient to external stresses like drought. This can make chitins, alcohols, fats, etc. Carbon occurs in all forms of organic life. the land more productive and help protect it,” he says. Increased organic The amount of carbon on earth is constant. Processes that use matter in the soil, coupled with plant cover as “soil armor” can serve to carbon obtain it from somewhere and discard it somewhere else. Paths capture and retain more moisture when it rains, rather than having the of carbon in the environment form what is called the carbon cycle. water run off and create erosion. Plants draw carbon dioxide from the air and through photosynthesis “Whether you are a livestock producer or a crop farmer, the principle combine it with other elements and build biomass. Some of this biomass is the same: you want to take up carbon dioxide from the air with plants is eaten by animals (including humans) as food. Dead plant/animal and transfer it to soil organic matter, and if the carbon accruals are greater matter may eventually become petroleum or coal, which releases carbon than the losses, over time you will see improvements in the health of your when burned. soil. It does take time, however, especially in dry climates. The amount of Dr. Mark Liebig, Research Soil Scientist, USDA Agricultural Research production each year, relative to the total pool of soil organic matter in soil Service in Mandan, ND explains that carbon is an element that links land profiles, is very small. You need to take a long-term view—looking at this management with the chemical in terms of decades or even composition of the atmosphere. generations, as a stewardship On land, carbon is a major commitment,” explains Liebig. part of biomass and soil. In the There are several carbon atmosphere carbon dioxide initiative programs to give is the most prevalent of the farmers/ranchers more “greenhouse gases” which also incentive to sequester carbon include methane, nitrous oxide into their soils. “Contracts and water vapor. are designed to specify Agricultural practices play the adoption of a specific an important role in taking management practice. For up carbon dioxide from the some producers, these atmosphere. “If farmers management commitments and ranchers have healthy, are something they have productive pastures and already been doing, but this rangeland, those plants can is additional encouragement Alex and Abbey Blake are excited about the opportunities the WSE carbon take up carbon dioxide through for them to stay the course,” program offers them. photosynthesis and translocate he says. it into the soil, where it can become part of the stabilized pool of organic “One practice that almost always has a positive impact on carbon matter,” says Liebig. storage is keeping the ground covered with perennial plants such as deeprooted grasses. This practice works well in most situations. Studies have Developing Carbon Markets documented increases in soil carbon under perennial grass,” says Liebig. In the past two decades, a number of programs have emerged to Beneficial grazing management methods that favor increased growth of encourage farmers and ranchers to add more carbon to their soils. A above-ground biomass (and limit the amount of bare ground) can put more new marketplace has developed around CO2 mitigation that enables carbon into the soil. companies and industries that emit CO2 to purchase carbon credits However, there is often some skepticism when enrolling in one of from businesses engaged in offsetting activities, such as production these programs because the fine print may be hard to understand. “Many of renewable energy through wind farms or biomass energy, energyof these initiatives read like a legal document so it is important to review efficiency projects, destruction of industrial pollutants, etc. them carefully. I had some experience with a previous carbon initiative in The money that the company pays for these credits is utilized to the mid-2000’s with the National Farmers’ Union and the Chicago Climate support projects and businesses that help sequester carbon. In general, Exchange. The skeptical perceptions from crop and livestock producers a carbon credit allows the purchaser to claim reductions of one metric provided opportunities for dialogue between initiative managers, scientists ton of CO2. There is a voluntary carbon offset market, but some larger and producers. An improved understanding of agriculture’s effect on the companies are required by law to purchase carbon credits to offset their carbon cycle, along with the long-term benefits of carbon sequestration carbon-producing activities in a “compliance market”. on soil health, was a lasting impact of the initiative. The intent was to find
Carbon Initiatives and Carbon Credits—
Understanding the Potential Carbon Market
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Land & Livestock
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May / June 2020
